Things to Do While You're Here

Besides the wedding, of course!

If you're coming in from out of town and are looking for activities, here are a few suggestions to get you started.

First of all -- and we'll do another post on this soon with additional details -- we're going to have an informal barbecue late Friday afternoon, which everyone is welcome to attend. We're looking to start around 4 p.m. nearby the Garden Center at Lake Merritt (the wedding venue) and later move to the downtown Oakland area for a nightcap. More info to come.

You can get a basic overview of what Oakland has to offer at the Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau.

If you have children, you might take them to Children's Fairyland, conveniently located right next to the Garden Center. Legend has it that this theme park was the inspiration for Disneyland.

For the nature lovers, we've got plenty of parks and hiking trails in the East Bay.

Sports fans, take note: the A's will be around next week, against the Reds (Monday-Wednesday) and the Pirates (Friday-Sunday), and tickets are easy to score day-of. Across the Bay, the Giants host the Red Sox over the weekend as well.

For those looking for a gourmet meal, a few high-profile options are:
Lake Chalet (Seafood; opposite side of Lake Merritt)
Flora (California cuisine & fancy cocktails; downtown)
Yoshi's Oakland (Japanese restaurant, doubles as a jazz club; Jack London Square)

Our recommendations for more moderately-priced fare:
Golden Lotus (Vegetarian Pan-Asian; downtown)
Spice Monkey ("eclectic California fusion"; downtown)
Everett & Jones (barbecue; Jack London Square)
Le Cheval (Vietnamese; downtown)
Silver Dragon (Chinese; Oakland Chinatown)

A few bar suggestions:
The Trappist (for the beer snobs; downtown Oakland)
Pacific Coast Brewery (serves lunch and dinner, with outdoor seating; downtown Oakland)
Jupiter (brew pub with good food; downtown Berkeley)

You probably didn't make a cross-country trip just to watch a movie, but the Grand Lake Theater is a cool place to catch a flick if the mood strikes you.

And finally, if you're still looking to get your dance on after the wedding, The New Parish hosts a dance party that very night that will be in full swing when our reception winds down, and should probably last until 1:30 or 2 a.m. It's not really a tourist spot, but it's a big venue and a great time.

Give us a call if you would like further suggestions!